


In the Waves

by ofinkandpaper



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Human/Monster Romance, Implied/Referenced Drowning, Minor Character Death, Near Death Experiences, Ocean, Oceanic Creatures, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 23:16:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14725475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofinkandpaper/pseuds/ofinkandpaper
Summary: It had been so long since Laura had been to the ocean with her family. The sounds, the smells, the mysteries that the deep depths could possibly hold - it was just too good to be true sometimes!When she finally returns, there’s more mystery than she ever really hoped to find under the surface... nor did she expect to discover a new creature.Who is it?





	In the Waves

I couldn’t quite remember how long it had been since I was last down by the water. The sun warming my skin and the waves lapping at the shore and my toes. A smile stretched my lips as I listened to children playing around me, music coming from someone’s stereo, and the calm rush of the waves overlapping each other in their race to get to the shore.

Looking to my right, I watched as my uncle and one of my cousins were messing around with a boat that they had recently purchased and wanted to test out; I took my eyes off of them and gazed back at the water. Of course, my family would probably be almost intrusively curious as to why I didn’t go out on the open sea with them when they were ready to go, as I always blurted out how much I loved the ocean and always wanted to go out again. Though I did plan on hopping aboard when they were ready, I didn't really want to deal with the possibly inevitable questions, so, with a sigh, I looked over the water for a few moments longer before heading over to see if the two needed any help getting the boat off the trailer and into the water – slightly surprised they hadn’t gotten it in yet.

“Is something wrong?” I slap my hands in a rhythm against the hull of the boat as I glanced over at my uncle, who seemed to be looking over the engine. He didn’t respond immediately, sighing and shaking his head instead. I glanced at my cousin, who seemed as if he didn’t even hear me and was gazing off towards the ocean. Instead of trying to get his attention, I turned my focus to climbing all the way aboard before trying to get an answer again; thankfully I didn’t have to repeat myself as my uncle stood, putting his hands on his hips,

“Doesn’t seem to wanna start… might be a while before I can get it going.” He looked out towards the waves as he spoke, and just as I was about to make some snarky remark about trying to put it in the water first, both he and my cousin yelled, the latter of the two standing and pointing while the former jumped off the boat and ran towards the rest of our family. Standing up, I searched in the direction my cousin was looking and gasped, eyes going wide as they followed a fin cutting through the water… a little too close for comfort to my younger cousin who was on her way back to shore.

“Can’t you go out and get her?!” My attention was torn from the fin for a second as my aunt screamed in panic, watching from the shore as her daughter was possibly getting followed by a shark. My heart was up in my throat as anxiety took hold of my lungs and worst possible scenarios flooded my thoughts. I had to shake my head to get the negativity to leave.

No, none of that was going to happen!

I hold my breath for a second and look down at the boat, where it rested in the water on the trailer. But, before I say anything, I look over to where our family is; Noel is back on land, and other beachgoers going over to see if she was alright and if anyone else needed assistance. Turning back to search the waves for the shark, as my body and nerves relax, and her brother hops out of the boat to check on her, my eyes lock onto a form - but, it isn’t a shark fin. My eyes widen, and a small gasp fills my lungs with salty air as I recognize the form as-as someone’s head?

I slowly make my way to the bow of the boat, eyes never leaving the floating head; my hands gliding along the edge as to make sure I don’t end up falling over and hurting myself. I freeze when the head turns my way, chills running along my arms.

“Laura! Take the boat out to see if you can find it!” My eyes didn’t leave the head as I yelled back an affirming noise of some sort, my focus more on trying to figure this new mystery than to form words. I can hear my mother and aunt getting angry about sending me out with a shark in the water… and I’m pretty sure there was a reference to Jaws? Not too sure, but for a moment I took my gaze from the bobbing head and turned to push the boat further into the water before starting the engine, making a small mental note to tell my uncle to make sure it was formally in the water before starting the engine.

Once I’m seated and starting out, I look out once more and head in the direction of – well, where the head had been. The slightest of panics drift over me as I scan the water, not seeing a hint of what had been there before, shark or otherwise…

Cruising to a stop where I had thought I had seen the floating head, I had to steel myself to not freak out too horribly if I did see a head; though I’m pretty sure if it was a dead man's head, I would be freaking out either way.

After taking a moment to gather my nerves, I gripped the edge and looked over into the water. It was a little hard to focus, as the bobbing of the boat was drawing a bit more of my attention than I would care to admit aloud, and – I gasped, a shark fin having breached the surface of the water just a foot from the boat for a moment before diving back down.

I backed away from the edge to gather my thoughts, but it wasn’t long until a squeak left me as the boat rocked and a pair of mysterious, webbed hands gripped the edge I had just been at moments before. For a second I was frozen, watching as the hands continued to adjust themselves; the webbed fingers continuously slipping slightly as they tried to find purchase. And, out of all the dumb things I’ve ever done, I reached out and pressed my hands against to top of them... slightly tempted to pull away almost immediately as their cool, wet skin was pressed against my palms.

The hands stopped their movement for a split second before pulling back, trying to get out from under my own, and causing the boat to bob and tilt more. And it was only for a second did I hear people from the shore yelling as the boat flipped and I fell into the water with whatever was trying to board.

After the initial splash, everything became muffled, and it took all I had to muster the courage to open my eyes to look around me… but it didn’t take very long as right in front of me was a… I couldn’t see very clearly, the salt in the water burning my eyes, but before I could get a good look, whoever - or whatever - it was, swam underneath me and flipped the boat right side up again before diving lower into the water. As much as I would have loved to look after it, trying to see more of it, my lungs were burning, and I pushed my way to the surface.

My head just barely breached the surface of the water, hands reaching up for the edge of the boat, when I was pushed out; a squeal leaving me as I felt hands against my thighs force me out of the waves and back onboard. My shoulder hit the floor first, and the rest of my body tumbled in after it, leaving me practically upside down, and my feet just barely hanging over the edge on the other side I had been pushed up from. And, just a few moments after that, after scooting myself back onto my butt and crossing my legs, I flinched as something hard hit my head.

I must have turned too slow to see just who or what threw whatever it was at my head because all I was able to catch was the water just starting to settle where some ripples had occurred. With an eyebrow raised, I turned back and picked up what was thrown – an oyster? My eyebrow remained raised as I gently laid it flat in my palm, looking it over. It was beautiful, to say the least, with waved stripes going all the way down its shell to the hinge at the back. Curious, I looked around once more before my eyes locked onto the shore, where my family was trying to wave me back. Sighing, as I didn’t get to see the mysterious being the waves were hiding from me, I looked around to see if –

I froze, my face utterly neutral as a thoroughly soaking boating manual flopped onto my head, more than likely left in the boat by my uncle. It was hard not to smile as I pulled it down and let it flop to the floor as I turned around and headed back to shore, trying to come up with something to tell them since I hadn’t gotten a clear view of whoever or whatever did, well, any of it!

Though, one thing was certain: I was undoubtedly coming back to try and see them again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! I really do hope you enjoyed my story. Please feel free to comment or even hop over to my tumblr


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